They represent some of the earliest family surnames of Europe and most of them indicate relationship or common origin, although this cannot always be proved because of few sources. The first law requiring permanent surnames for all Finnish citizens was passed in 1920. Visit our Privacy Policy for more info. In third place we find Mäkinen wit… In Finland, it’s not uncommon to give your baby up to three names. Forebears.io has a list of over 170 thousand Most Common Surnames Names in Finland. They represent some of the earliest family surnames of Europe and most of them indicate relationship or common origin, although this cannot always be proved because of few sources. Find out how surnames are ranked in popularity, how many people in the United States of America bear a particular name, and how the statistics change between 1990 and 2000 US Censuses. Finnish Last Names: Starting With H. Have you ever wondered what your last name (surname) meant? Finnish Last Names . Here they developed into permanent family surnames and did not change as a family moved. Hamalainen – Someone from Hame province in Finland. Often a certain name was associated with the soldier’s cottage, and each new soldier assigned to that cottage received the same name. Most people do. For example, Huuskonen and Liimatainen are family surnames. For example, Huuskonen and Liimatainen are family surnames. Such surnames include Kurki (crane), Orava (squirrel), and Repo (fox). 23 783 3.
As mentioned above, you will notice that a lot of these surnames are related to nature. However, in the mid-1800s Finnish language soldier names also became popular; examples are Kuula (canon ball, bullet), Luoti (bullet), Saari (island). They're a fairly young country, as they've only been independent from Russia since 1917. All Finns had patronymic names. The names with these suffixes and prefixes may look and sound different in other countries, but are still recognizably Finnish. Korpela – Derived from the Finnish word Korpi, meaning a remote forest. Your last name says a lot about where your family originated. In other words, they no longer changed with each generation. One of the most popular Finnish baby girl names is Aino , but there are plenty of other Finnish favorites from which to choose. Farm Names. Before the twentieth century, women in Finland generally did not assume the husband’s surname at marriage.
Required fields are marked *. So, -nen basically indicates that the individual is from a place containing the preceding word.
Listed below are some of the most popular Finnish surnames and their meanings. This is where the very common -nen comes in. For example Lars Andersson is Lauri Antinpoika and Maria Andersdotter is Maria Antintytär in Finnish. Stream the original series Disney Family Sundays , plus all your Disney favorites, anytime on Disney+. Hämäläinen – From Tavastia a province in Finland. Virtanen Family surnames have certain types of endings: -nen or -ainen/-äinen. Your email address will not be published. Patronymic surnames were common throughout Finland, but most people in western Finland used only a patronymic surname. Nobility surnames are unique family surnames, generally given at the time of ennoblement. For example, brothers named Sven and Pär could be listed with different surnames. Finnish birth records did not generally list a surname for newborn infants, but instead, listed a first name. Listed below are some of the most popular Finnish surnames and their meanings.
As names became fixed, brothers could take different surnames.
In creating a surname standard for the International Genealogical Index, the Family History Library assigns the surnames strictly by whether a parish is classified as a patronymic parish (western) or a set surname parish (eastern). We’ve compiled a list of popular Finnish last names and their meanings. Most common Finnish last names 1. An authoritative reference book about given names and surnames is Vilkuna, Kustaa.
Ⓒ 2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. If their father was Lars Andersson, one son might be listed as Sven Andersson (from his father’s patronymic) and the other son as Pär Larsen (from his own patronymic). It is now a 'protected' surname in Finland, which means someone may only bear it … As mentioned above, you will notice that a lot of these surnames are related to nature. After a few generations, these names sometimes became hereditary and were used from father to son. For example, Virtanen is made up of the word Virta, meaning small stream, and -nen, indicating a belonging to the place. They also took Swedish compound names, such as Söderqvist, Sjöberg, and Lindholm. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Native American Surnames and Their History, Finnish Girl Names – Finnish Names For Girls. For instance, Lars, son of Anders, was named Lars Andersson, and Maria, daughter of Anders, was named Maria Andersdotter. 30+ Spanish Last Names That’ll Take You To Your Nearest Tapas Bar. Privacy Policy. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can check out more of our worldlastnames.com articles below. The soldier names were usually short, descriptive, and derived from Swedish: examples are Stål (steel), Glad (happy), Kämpe (fighter), Dufva (dove). In earlier records, these names were found with other endings, such as Huuskoin and Liimatain. Well, you can start your search here. Surnames for families and clans are very old in eastern Finland while in western Finland, like in the other Nordic countries, surnames were not used until quite recently.Surnames in Finland often derive from farm names or from given names. Eastern and western Finland have different naming traditions. In earlier records, these names were found … Understanding surnames and given names can help you find and identify your ancestors in genealogical records.
You can find more sources about names in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under: FINLAND - NAMES, PERSONAL. At various libraries (WorldCat). This name stayed with him as long as he served in the military. Besides using patronymic names, both the nobility and clergy used additional inherited surnames. On occasion, we also use cookies to collect information from our toddlers, but that’s a totally different thing. Patronymic Surnames.
Finland is a country in north Europe with a population of roughly 5.5 million people. AHO Finnish As a Finnish surname, it is derived from Finnish aho "glade", "forest clearing". Examples of these names include Heikkilä (Heikki’s farm) and Haapalainen (place of aspens). Since so many refer to a location, lots of these names are related to nature. 30+ Most Common Finnish Last Names and Meanings. There was frequent overlap of these practices in both areas. This page was last edited on 21 September 2020, at 07:42. In July 2014 the Finnish Population Register Centre announced that there are 23,380 Korhonens, compared to 23,141 Virtanens. Swedish patronymics end with -son (son) or -dotter (daughter).
In the 1800s artisans and urban tradesmen began to use their occupations as surnames in either their Finnish or Swedish versions. Meaning: Uncertain but likely comes from the word ‘korho’, meaning a person of poor hearing. Nature. Farm Names. Following is a brief description of various types of Finnish surnames according to geographic (east-west) distributions: Two types of surnames were common in western Finland: patronymic and farm names. Family surnames have certain types of endings: -nen or -ainen/-äinen. Suomalainen nimikirja (Finnish Name Book). Korhonen – Hard of Hearing (The direct translation or modern meaning is unknown for this very popular Finnish last name.). Without knowing which way a parish was classified, it is best to try all known possible variations, such as patronymic, farm names, and fixed surnames, when searching the International Genealogical Index. Farm names were often used like surnames, but they referred to a person’s place of residence. But the Korhonens now seem to be taking a lead, by either breeding faster or living longer.
Discover the ethnic origin and meaning of last names. Farm names were also used in eastern Finland. In Finnish genealogical research, researching people with a common surname is not always productive because people often changed their surnames when they moved or for other reasons.
Patronymic surnames are based on the father’s given name. For example, Huuskotar and Liimatar both have the feminine ending.
If he moved, he would use the name of the new farm as a surname. This is because the majority of Finnish surnames are taken after place names or geographical locations. Thus a person called Juho (Johan) Koskiniemi lived at a place called Koskiniemi. Finnish name generator . It was also formerly a popular ornamental name in Northern Finland, especially among Swedes living there. Family Names. Hanninen – Derived from the German personal name Johannes. As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same name. In the beginning of the 1900s as Finnish nationalism grew, many Swedish and other foreign sounding names were changed to Finnish names. This page has been viewed 9,577 times (0 via redirect). This name generator will generate 10 random Finnish names. In the late nineteenth century, patronymic surnames became fixed. Find out the meaning and origin of your last name. Before record keeping began, most people had only one name, such as Johan. Like most countries around the world, they are made up of patronymic and geographic last names. The same person may have used a patronymic name in one record and a farm or family surname in another record. The Swedish military used soldier names to distinguish persons with common patronymic names, such as Johansson and Mattsson. There has recently been extremely tight competition for top ranking between the two most common Finnish surnames, Virtanen and Korhonen(the equivalents to Smith and Jones). What does it mean, and why do so many Finnish names end in this suffix? When a soldier enlisted in the army, he was given a new surname. 24 661 2. TBS Network. A farm name could be used in additional to a patronymic name. Johan became Johan the smith, Johan the son of Matts, or Johan from a given farm. Korhonen
These could be direct translations, partial translations, or completely different names. The problem was usually solved by adding descriptive information. 22 173 … Virtanen. A service provided by, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Finland_Surnames&oldid=4094285, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These names often end in -la/-lä or -lainen/-läinen. The “nen” ending of a Finnish surname can mean “son of,” but is usually a descriptive of the place where a family lived. For example, Henrik Mariasson would be the son of a Maria. Helsinki: Otava, 1984. After the mid-nineteenth century, however, these names frequently became permanent family surnames. Nieminen You might have noticed, especially once you look through the list we have compiled, but a lot of Finnish surname share the same name ending. Your email address will not be published. During the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, farm names often became fixed family surnames. Patronymic names in Finnish end with -poika (son) or -tytär (daughter). Both naming customs date back to the earliest written sources. The surnames used in eastern Finland are family surnames, which means that they were used in a family from generation to generation. At first, such "surnames" applied only to one person and not to the whole family. Other types of surnames used in eastern Finland refer to nature. Take a look and see if your surname is below! In cases of illegitimacy, a child’s surname might be based on the mother’s given name.